# FreeCell - credits and notes

**The game.** FreeCell is the solitaire that Paul Alfille wrote for the PLATO system in 1978. Jim Horne
reimplemented it at Microsoft for DOS and then Windows, where it shipped with every version from
Windows 95 to Windows 7 and introduced the 32,000 numbered deals that players still refer to by number.
Horne later disclosed the deal algorithm, which is why this page (and many other implementations) can
reproduce game #617 or game #11982 exactly.

**This recreation** (https://freecell.skillsafe.ai/) is an independent browser implementation written
from the published rules and the deal algorithm. It reproduces the details players remember: the
numbered deals 1 to 32000 and the two joke deals -1 and -2, the eight cascades, four free cells and
four home cells, the click-then-click way of moving cards with the game working out how many cards
travel, the supermove limit set by the free cells and empty columns, cards flying home on their own
once they can no longer be needed, the king who watches your pointer, the resign prompt, the
statistics and streaks (joke deals do not count), the keyboard shortcuts F2 F3 F4 F5 and Ctrl+Z, and
the Ctrl+Shift+F10 "user-friendly user interface" dialog.

Everything here - the card faces, the king, the window dressing, the help text and the code - is
original work. Nothing was copied from any Microsoft product, and this page is not affiliated with or
endorsed by Microsoft. "Windows" is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

The code is released under the MIT licence; see LICENSE.txt.

References: Rosetta Code, "Deal cards for FreeCell" (the algorithm and the published layouts of games
1, 617 and 11982); the FreeCell FAQ at solitairelaboratory.com (history and the unsolvable deal).